Product improvement or planned obsolescense?

[Robert_in_NY]

A lot of the model number changes come as a result of updating tractors. The OEM's have been updating their ag tractors to meet the new engine requirements. When they have a major change or enough minor changes it makes sense to change the model number so people have an easier time at the parts counter. If they didn't you would go to the parts counter needing your model number and serial number so they can hopefully get you the right part.

 

[mjncad]

Ah yes, the Marketing department...the bane of Dilbert's existence. I always get concerned when Marketing and/or Accounting are the bosses in an engineering environment, and my wife is an accountant.

 

[ccsial]

Ah yes, the Marketing department...the bane of Dilbert's existence. I always get concerned when Marketing and/or Accounting are the bosses in an engineering environment, and my wife is an accountant.

Marketing, "Can't live with em, Can't live without em"

 

[dbear]

I think sometimes, depending upon brand, model numbers change as a result of changing the unit's manufacturer from one to another, rather than any actual "improvements." Ah outsourcing, ain't it great...

Also, I got thinking about these said "improvements" and I kept wondering just what the heck they are. I'm not talking erogonmics here for that's alreadly been beat to death and is still mostly a personal preference thing. I'm strictly thinking mechanicals.

I mean, aside from possibly shuttle shift or hydro transmissions, 4wd, and more comfortable seats (those steel pans could be a killer), what are manufacturers improving that the end user really cares about. Tractors today, just as they did years ago, still basically consist of an engine, trans, tires, hydraulics, pto, 3pt, foot pedals, hand controls, steering wheel, and a seat.

Power steering has been around for decades so you really can't include it. And I suppose even 4wd, hydro and SS trannies have too. So maybe I'm missing something, but just how does adding computerized gizmos to meet emission standards, electric solenoids instead of tried-and-true mechanical linkages for hydraulics, and a plethora of idiot lights instead of gauges, add anything in the eyes of the end user? Granted the emission stuff is mandated by the government, but who cares how the hydraulics or pto work, only that they do?

 

[ccsial]

The companies need to offer features that make people want to trade up to get some new thing they "gotta have". They also have to meet ever tighening EPA regulations.

The Big farm tractors are getting very sophisticated with electronics. More and more of that will eventaully filter down to CUTS. If they can make a tractor easier to use, more comfotable, more efficient, some people will want to trade up.

Using electronics instead of mechanical designs can also reduce cost of manufacturing. And while I'm in the automation business, I prefer simple things on my tractor because there is less to go wrong. I have enough electronic problems at work. I'm glad that there are economy (simple) tractors available.

This is the way things work though. Keep looking for more and more features.

 

[rback33]

As a person who gets to see first hand why some of these changes occur, I feel compelled to jump in. You would be shocked how many changes occur from year to year. Remember, these companies don't necessarily make all their own parts. They are sourced from all over. Tranny's, pumps, axles, even engines. You change any one of those items and you will likely need to make frame changes. If you have to make frame changes, you have to make loader changes. It's no longer the same loader, so you had better change the model number to differentiate. Now someone has to figure the specifics of the tractor to get the right loader, so you may as well change the tractor model to make it idiot proof. Now obviously not ALL changes occur this way, but this is one example. If one supplier gets stupid about pricing, then it can through every thing into a dither. I know someone said something about cost cutting earlier too, and the savings not getting passed on. I can tell you first hand that you cannot be more wrong about that most of the time. You see the savings alright... by not paying an even HIGHER price for your equipment. With steel and fuel continuing to rise it is a serious challenge for manufacturing companies to try and hold prices.

 

[SnowRidge]

To add to what rback33 said, consider Power Trac. Power Trac changes stuff on their models all the time. Engines, pumps, pump locations, fuel tanks, fuel tank location, wheel motors, and more have all been changed on the PT-425 since I bought mine in 2003, yet Power Trac has added not even an asterisk to the model number.

Discussing Power Trac issues with others and even ordering parts from the factory can be difficult and involves describing exactly what you have in your Power Trac and when it was built, if you know. It would be a whole lot simpler if we could just quote something like PT-425-03 or PT-425 production number xxx765 or the like.

 

[machmeter62]

I have more than one weakness, the first one is I get mentally attached to my rolling stock, and would have trouble parting with it; unless it was "manufactured junk" to begin with! The second one is the "KISS RULE," keep-it-simple-stupid; I have enough electronic nightmares in this "21st CENTURY!!"

 

[RedRiver]

A lot of the model number changes come as a result of updating tractors. The OEM's have been updating their ag tractors to meet the new engine requirements. When they have a major change or enough minor changes it makes sense to change the model number so people have an easier time at the parts counter. If they didn't you would go to the parts counter needing your model number and serial number so they can hopefully get you the right part.

Agreed, this is a problem I often run into on cutters and other implements. They change the parts and/or design a little yet still keep the same model number and it's a pain in the tail because you have to ask the customer a million questions just to figure out the exact unit they have. You don't realize how many changes there are til you get on the other side of the parts counter.

 

[mjncad]

Agreed, this is a problem I often run into on cutters and other implements. They change the parts and/or design a little yet still keep the same model number and it's a pain in the tail because you have to ask the customer a million questions just to figure out the exact unit they have. You don't realize how many changes there are til you get on the other side of the parts counter.

It's a pain in the butt for the engineering and design staff too. Some suppliers are good at supplying accurate tear sheets of their components and some aren't, leaving the engineering department to call the supplier or winging it depending on the customer service attitude of the supplier company when designing upgrades. Been there, done that in a past life.

What are two major changes I would have liked to have seen in my 4200's design? First is a cab option; the European version had a cab as an option. The second would be the fuel tank located at the rear somehow to make fueling easier. Could the tank have been relocated to the rear without changing the current design much? Maybe, maybe not; but JD has far greater resources than I do to have plastic fuel tanks made in whatever shape is required to fit a space.

Other things I'd like to have seen improved on the 4200 are minor, and would be considered refinements in my opinion.